Tambuwal tasks stakeholders over shrinking Doronyo Dam

Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, has called on stakeholders concerned to work together with a view to tackling the impending danger that can result from water shortage at Doronyo Dam in the state.

Governor Tambuwal made this call when he paid an inspection visit to the dam that is said to post danger of acute shortage of water supply to about four million people if nothing fast is done as the water level at Goronyo dam in Sokoto State has shrunk by almost 90 percent.

The dam serves as the primary source of water for close to four million people in Sokoto and Kebbi states in the North West, for domestic use and irrigation.

Speaking when he led officials on the inspection visit to the dam, Tambuwal said the depletion of the dam’s water level was alarming.

“The reservoir of Goronyo dam was constructed to hold one billion cubic metres of water.  But as we have seen today, the water in it is just about 100 million cubic metres.

“This has resulted in inadequate supply of water to our water board and, in effect, we had to resort to rationing water to the people.

“Our farmers are also suffering because output from this year’s dry season farming will invariably be affected.

“We are urging all stakeholders, especially the Federal Government, to take the lead in rescuing this important dam, considering the number of people that rely on its water for domestic use and income purposes,” he added.

Conducting the governor round the dam site, the Managing Director of Sokoto Rima River Basin Development Authority, Alhaji Buhari Bature, said the depletion was the worst to happen in the dam in over 25 years.

He attributed the problem to shortage of rainfall in 2017, climate change and other reasons.